Introduction to the Linux Operating System

What is an Operating System?

Every time you switch on your computer, you see a scr

you can perform different activities like write, browse
or watch a video. What is it that makes the computer h
work like that? How does the processor on your com
know that you are asking it to run a mp3 file?

Well, it is the operating system or the kernel which

work. A kernel is the program at the heart of any oper
system that takes care of fundamental stuff, like lettin
communicate with software

So, to work on your computer you need an Operati

System(OS) .In fact, you are using one as you read th
computer. Now, you may have used popular OS's like
Apple OS X but here we will learn what Linux is and w
it offers over other OS choices.

What is Linux? Tutorial 1

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What is Linux? Who created Linux?

Linux is an operating system or a kernel which germinated as an idea in the

young and bright Linus Torvalds when he was a computer science student.
work on the UNIX OS (a proprietary software), and thought that it needed
improvements.

However, when his suggestions were rejected by the designers of UNIX, he thought of launching an
will be receptive to changes, modifications suggested by its users.

The Lone Kernel & the early days

The Lone Kernel & the early days

So Linus devised a Kernel named Linux in 1991. Though he would need programs like File Manage
Document Editors, Audio -Video programs to run on it. Something as you have a cone but no ice-cr
J.

As time passed by, he collaborated with other programmers in places like MIT and applications f
started to appear. So around 1991, a working Linux operating system with some applications was o
launched and this was the start of one of the most loved and open-source OS options available

The earlier versions of Linux were not so user friendly as they were in use by computer programme
Linus Torvalds never had it in mind to commercialize his product.

This definitely curbed the Linux's popularity as other commercially oriented Operating System Wind
famous. Nonetheless, the open-source aspect of the Linux operating system made it more robust.

Linux gets its due attention

The main advantage of Linux was that programmers were able to use the Linux Kernel in order to d
own custom operating systems. With time, a new range of user-friendly OS's stormed the compute
Now, Linux is one of most popular and widely used Kernel, and it is the backbone of popular op
systems like Debian, Knoppix, Ubuntu, and Fedora. Nevertheless, the list does not end here as th
thousands of OS's based on Linux which offer a variety of functions to the users.

The benefits of using Linux

Linux now enjoys popularity at its prime and it's famous among programmers as well as regular co
users around the world. Its main benefits are -

It offers a free operating system. You do not have to shell hundreds of dollars to get the OS like W

Being open-source, anyone with programming knowledge can modify it.

The Linux operating systems now offer millions of programs/applications to choose from
free!
Once you have Linux installed you no longer need an antivirus! Linux is a highly secure system. M
there is a global development community constantly looking at ways to enhance its security. Wit
upgrade, the OS becomes more secure and robust
Linux is the OS of choice for Server environments due to its stability and reliability (Mega-compa
Amazon, Facebook ,and Google use Linux for their Servers). A Linux based server could run nona reboot for years on end.

Is it for me?

Users, who are new to Linux, usually shun it by falsely considering it as a difficult and technical OS
but, to state the truth, in the last few years Linux operating systems have become a lot more user-f
their counterparts like Windows, so trying them is the best way to know whether Linux suits you or

There are thousands of Linux based operating systems; most of them

state-of-the-art security and applications, all of it for free!

This is what Linux is all about, and now we will move on to how to instal
which Distribution you should choose.

I am asked to Learn Unix? Then why Linux?

UNIX is called the mother of operating systems which laid out the found
Linux. Unix is designed mainly for mainframes and is in enterprises and universities .While Linux i
becoming a household name for computer users , developers and server environment. You may ha
for a Unix kernel while in Linux it is free.

But, the commands used on both the operating systems are usually the same. There is not mu
difference between UNIX and Linux. Though they might seem different, at core, they are essentially
Since, Linux is a clone of UNIX. So learning one is same as learning another.

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